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S O S Y E T E D U M A R C H E , I N C
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Vodou Flags
Drapo are the fantastic flags that commence the beginning of a Vodou service. The Drapo Queens come
high stepping out of the Badji, carrying the sequin flags of the Houmfor on their back- accompanied by the LaPlas flashing his sword, they twirl and dance around the Poto Mitan, signaling the Lwa that the
congregation is ready to receive Spirit.
Today, Vodou flags are less secular than they are an art form. Flag makers such as Yves Telemak by pass
the religious market for flags, for the more lucrative commercial one. Some names have become synonymous for sequin flags - Antoine Oleyant, Silva Joseph, Eviland LaLanne, Edgar Jean-Louis.
Working with the materials at hand - burlap, scraps of sheets and satin, they fashioned works of art that surpass the imagination in their execution and beauty. To see the flash and sparkle of the sequined drapo as
they are twirled about the dark interior of a dusty peristyle, is to realize the potential of Spirit to manifest in the most humble of surroundings.
These men and others have put their life and souls into the sequin beauty of the drapo; forever tying their lives to that of the spirit with a thread and
bead. A fitting metaphor for service. We offer here some sterling examples of the Flags Arts of Haiti. We travel to Haiti once a year, to bring back the
best we can find. It has become difficult, with the embargoes imposed by the U.S., for the artists to get the materials they need to create their art. God
willing, they will continue to be funded and to receive the recognition they so richly deserve.
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Eviland LaLanne.
Eviland was a natural healer and Vodou priest. He firmly believed that the spirits were in close
partnership with himself, and he served them through the sequin arts. A raisin doktor (root doctor), he combined herbal treatments, western medicine and spiritual cleansings. His flags were homages to the spirits he served, and with whom he affected his treatments. Sadly, LaLanne passed away last year. We are offering two flags by Houngan LaLanne that exemplify the Bel Air art community's commitment to the Spirits of Vodou
LaLanne by Tina Girouard, 1993, Sacred Arts, pg. 370.
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The Baron by Eviland LaLanne. 24" x 36", heavily sequined on black satin. Signed by the
artist
$1650.00
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Emile Jean-Baptistewas born in a small village called Cochon Gras near Jacmel, Haiti, in 1952 and now lives in Carrefour. Carrefour
is a sprawling, working class suburb of Port-au-Prince that used to be a well-to-do resort area. As conditions for the Haitian peasant farmer worsened over the past decades, more and of the rural population moved to
the city, changing the composition of suburbs like Carrefour. Jean-Baptiste came from such a peasant background and worked as a farm laborer before economic conditions brought him to Port-au-Prince in 1977. Unlike
most rural peasants, he did attend school long enough to learn some reading and writing. He also had some drawing classes. Because he was literate, he managed to find work in a gas station until 1983 when he started
sewing flags for his kinsman, Eviland Lalanne. After a year, he left Lalanne's atelier and set up his own workshop.
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Simbi by Emile Jean-Baptiste. Simbis represent spirits that are "twice born", and are now in a position to help the
community at large. All Simbis are served with water - some with fresh water, others with ocean. It depends on their nature and where they originate from. Simbi is one of LaLanne's favorite subjects, one
he sewed many times. Here, we see Simibi of the waters, surrounded by fish, indicating his mercurial nature. A third eye pears out from his chest, surmounting an eight armed Rada star. The star motif is
repeated across Simbi's hat, indicating his ability to move between planes. The flag is further enhanced with a deep red satin background, white crosses and diamond borders, all symbols of ability to
move between worlds at will.
Simbi by Emile Jean-Baptiste, 26" x 31" $1500.00
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Maxon Scylla.
Maxon is married to Antoine Oleyant's sister Monique. As a flag-maker he has
always worked in the shadow of his famous brother-in-law. While Antoine was alive, Maxon managed his atelier and sewed for him. After Antoine's death, he continued to make flags using Antoine's drawings but
signed them "Antoine" until some collectors convinced him that his flags would sell just as well with his own name on them. Today he continues to make flags using Antoine's drawings but signs them
"Maxon." His own good color sense gives the flags their own unique beauty. These are beautiful flags - well sewn and solidly constructed.
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Petro Spirit by Maxon Scylla.
20" x 24", dark navy blue satin background. The background is silver sequins with blue overtones, a multicolored snake ascending the left side, and a Petro Drum on fire with the rhythms of the ritual on the right. Signed by the artist.
Petro Spirit $1450.00
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Simbi by Maxon Scylla. 20" x 24", teal green satin background. The background is silvery violet sequins,
accented with red and blue. This Simbi spirit has three snakes surmounting it's form - the Kundalini in pale green, and the twin Caduceus over it's shoulders. Power rushes forth from it's body. The hands
and feet end in faces and fingers, demonstrating the transitional nature of spirit and it's ability to call forth all the power and knowledge it carries from previous lives and ancestors. Eight pointed
Rada stars signify this Spirit's ability to move between worlds at will. Signed by the artist.
Simbi $1450.00
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Sen Jak (Ogoun)
This is a simple flag from a maker in the Iron Market in Port au
Prince. However, it's an important one - every houmfor in Haiti has an Ogou flag. And this one is very well made. It's the traditional chromolith of St. Jacques, riding his horse into battle, with
upraised arm and sword. The flag maker did sign it - "M.C." But alas, we never did get his name! What I like about this one is the use of the border - it drops out to make room for the horse's tale, and
the hat of St. Jacques. A very clever articulation of space and subject. 29" x 29", on a peacock blue satin backing.
Sen Jak $400.00
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